Glare diverter for automobile head lamps



Feb. 16, 1932. s. s. STALEY 1,345,729

GLARE DIVEHTER FOR AUTOMOBILE HEAD LAMPS Filed Feb. 15, 1950 .Samuel 5. .Sfo/eg/ Patented Feb. 16, 1932 UNITED STATES SAMUEL S. STALEY, OF LEBANON, PENNSYLVANIA GLARE DIVERTER FOR AUTOMOBILE HEAD LAMPS Application filed February 13, 1930. Serial No. 428,137.

Night driving in automobiles requires that the road in front of the vehicle be sufficiently lighted on the side on which the machine travels and also at the portion of the roadway at the side of the portion travelled by vehicles. In country districts, which are where the present device is most needed, the paved or improved portion of the road often is bordered by a ditch or a steep bank, and when an automobile is driven over the edge of the travelled road, which, in most roads much travelled by automobiles, is the paved portion, an accident often happens. Travellers coming from the opposite direction are a likely to be blinded by a dazzling light and unable to see their way if suddenly a con doused beam of light is projected into their eyes, the pupils of which have opened widely in the comparative darkness about them. The problem is further complicated by the k necessity that a mild light be emitted from the lamps and dispersed in the immediate vicinity of the car.

The structure of the standard automobile lamp is substantially a frame having a re flector in the form of a paraboloid, the axis of which is directed forward, a light is placed substantially at the focus and a protecting glass at the front of the lamp. This glass is usually required by law to be of standard configuration and is called a lens in the art. This designation of this last part, though not strictly technically correct, is used practically universally in statutes and regulations of the various States, and I wish it understood that when I speak of glass closure of the lamp hereinafter, I am referring to the part of the lamp commonly called the lens.

A paraboloid that has a reflecting surface reflects a point of light placed at its focus in straight lines forward. The bounding surfaces of the light reflected from a parabolic reflector define a geometrical solid in the form of a slightly truncated cone. If the glass closure of the lamp has a figured surface, as is usual, these surfaces are distorted but still have the general conical form. At the por tion of the cone lying adjacent to the axis of the reflector, the light is most brilliant and dazzling, becoming less brilliant as it bebrilliant enough to dazzle.

comes farther away from this axis. Practically, of the rays projected from the reflector only the rays near the cones axis are This brilliant light is reflected from a very small area at the back of the reflector of the lamp and passes through the glass closure of the lamp only at its central portion. I

I have made a devicethat will deflect from the side of the road to the left hand of the driver, the portion ofthe very brilliant light that would otherwise be directed there by the reflector of thelamp, and will reflect it to the right hand side of the road, Where it will give additional illumination to that side of the road. Thelight reflected by the deflector of my device will partly intensify the lighting of the rays that pass from the lamp reflector, undeflected bymy device, andpartly illuminate the side of theroadoutside the road surface lighted by the undeflected light coming fromthe lamp reflector. This will give the driver a clear view of the ditches or slopes or other dangerous portions of the road to the right of the travelled portion of the road. The proportions in which these two reflecting eflects of my device will be accomplished willdepend in part upon the position and shape of the reflector of my device.

My device covers only a small part of the lens, and presents a small surface for Wind contact, and allows the rays of light that are. not dazzling to emerge freely. This freely emerging light contains the rays that would normally light the right hand side of the travelled road in front of the device, and at a distance ahead of the car, the surface to the right of the travelledportion of the road. The freely emerging rays contain also rays reflected from the parts of the lamps reflector near its edges and consequently are mild. These latter rays pass above, below and at the left hand side of the reflector of my device as well as to itsright. My device consists of a hinged reflector with an axis of rotation, substantially vertical, and in front of and between the centre and left hand side of the glass closure of the lamp. It is spaced at short distance in front of this closure. 5 My device has the reflecting side of its reflector placed to reflect the light passing through the lens, reflecting it to the road in front of and to the right hand side of the driver, and, in some positions of the reflector, back into the lamp from which it is reflected forward again. The reflector of my device is substantially narrower than the diameter of the lens, as it need only divert the light coming through the central portion of the glass closure of the lamp. It leaves also a part of the glass closure of the lampat the side toward which it is hinged uncovered. The extent that it will project over the drivers right hand side of the glass closure of the lamp depends upon the extent to which the hinged reflector is closed upon the glass closure of the lamp. The sum of the effects produced by the structure embodying my device is an unobstructed emission of both the brilliant rays and the milder rays that light the right hand side of the road, an unobstructed emission of all the milder rays, a reflection of the dazzling rays which, if unobstructed, would spread over the left hand side of the travelled road, to the right hand side of the travelled road, reinforcing the unobstructed dazzling rays that would pass 'to the right hand side of the road, the reflected dazzling rays being not only prevented from producing a glare in the eyes of an approaching driver but also adding to the lighting of the right hand side of the road in front of the driver of the car provided with my devic'e,,and enabling him'to see clearly any dangerous conditions outside of the travelled road to his right when he is near them as well aswhen at a distance from them.

a shutter. Fig. 5 is a diagram, explanatory of the rays emitted by the lamp as modified by varying positions of the reflector of my device, the diagram cutting these rays on a horizontal plane containing the axis of the reflector of the lamp. Fig. 6 is a sketch of the device in its most complete form.

' The lamp maybe of any standard form;

I have shown the necessary elements of such a lamp, rim 1, a lamp reflector 3, a lamp bulb 34, a glass closure 2. These are standard lamp parts and form no portion'of my invention, but merely are parts to which my device is attached, and may be in any standard or convenient form.

The hinged reflector 4 of my device is hinged along an axis substantially verticaland positioned to the right of the centre andin front of the lens. The side of the reflector towards the lens is made highly reflective. In practice, the reflector ismade siderahle extent within the limits above set forth. In practice, however, the upper edge a of the reflector 4 is straight and curves over toward the glass closure and a portion 6 of the lower edge is also straight, and curved over toward the lens. These curves are intended to catch any dazzling light that might be diverged very widely in passing through the glass closure. The ends of the glass closure are curved in practice, the curve 0 on the hinge side being of an increasing radius toward the bottom, andthe free side having a curve (5 of comparatively large radius at the lower corner and a curve d of smaller radius at the upper corner.

The axis of the hinge on which the reflector 4 turns is positioned in practice close to the inner surface of the reflector and at a litvtle distance in fromthe end of the reflector,

the inside of the reflector, a part of which is curved to follow the edge. of the reflector and two ears 8, 8 that are pierced for the hinge pins 9. The ears are set one toward the top and one toward the bottom of the reflector. The other leaf of the hinge is attached to the rim of the lamp. It has the plate 11 that fits the rim of the lamp and is secured to it by screws in the holes 12, 12, or other suitable means. The arms 13, 13, extend from the plate 11 inward, over the face of the lamp. Preferably they are adjustable, by means of the rivets 14, 14, so that the device can be used with lamps having different diameters. These arms turn forward to the points where they are pivoted to the ears .8, 8, by their pins 9. The portions m, m of the arms 13 preferably are very nearly at right angles with the parts a, 'n.

The arms 15 move the reflector 4. In practice, the arms 15 of a pair of reflectors are connected by the link 16 that'is pivoted to them, so that they move simultaneously. The arms 15 form, in practice, part of' the structure of one of the leaves of the hinge, the pivot 10 of thisarm 15 will ordinarily be at a slightly less radial distance from the pivot than the length of the portion 12, n of the arms 13, 13. The reflector can be set at any angle with the face of the lens up to a little over a'right angle.

A yoke 17 may be placed in the link16,

and a pin 18 placed on the arm 19, attached to the rotating rod that may be carried to a suitable position to be under the drivers control, may be arranged to reciprocate the link 16.

The diagram Fig. 5 which illustrates the directions of the light rays lying in a plane passed horizontall through the axis of the plane cutting t 1e surface of the reflector of the lamp and consequently containing the focus 34. This diagram represents on a very reduced scale the results of actual tests on a standard lamp, and will serve as a fairly accurate example of the light courses. In this example, which illustrates the usual case where the area of the source of light includes the focus of the paraboloid of the lamp reflector, one half of the entire light given off from the bulb placed at the focus is reflected from a small area of the reflector of the lamp back of a vertical plane 5, passed through the focus. The reflected rays from this area will have approximately a directly forward course. The light reflected from this portion of the reflector of the lamp passes through the glass closure of the lamp in a small circle having the diameter grand easily could be intercepted and re ected by the reflector a of my device. The various positions of the reflector 4 are indicated by the lines '7', s, r t, r Z and according to the angle at which the reflector stands is the direction of the reflection of the light and the amount of light reflected.

Varying the relative distances between the screws 12, 12 and the pivot 10, so that this distance is greater in one lamp than it is in the other lamp will cause the angular movement of the shutter 4, of one lamp to be more extensive than that of the other lamp. The more extensive angular movement should be at the lamp at the left of the car.

Many changes may be made in the device as particularly described, and I do not limit myself further than as set forth in the following claims, giving them a fair construction.

I claim:

1. A reflector for automobile lamps hinged to the lamp at the drivers left hand side of the lamps centre and to the right of the left hand side of the lamp, and having the reflecting surface positioned at an angle with the light cone axis when in operative position, to reflect the dazzling rays forward and to the right hand side of the road, leaving an uncovered portion of the glass closure, above and below the reflector uncovered by it at all times.

2. A reflector for automobile lamps hinged to the lamp at the drivers left hand side of the centre and to the right of the left hand side of the lamp, and having the reflecting surface of the reflector positioned at an angle with the axis of the light cone, when in operative position to reflect the dazzlingrays but not the mild rays and leavinguncovered allbut the left hand portion of the light cone near its axis, and having the lower edge curved inward.

3.- A reflector for an automobilelamp, said lamp havinga glass closureland rim, and said reflector 'being provided with a hinge by which said reflector is secured to the rim of the lamp, the axis of rotation ofsaidhinge being vertical and situated in front of the lamp and between the centre of saidglass closure and the drivers lefthand edge of same at a sufficient distance from said edge to leave the portions of the said edgeuncovered. 4. The device as defined in claim 3 wherein the reflector has a width substantially less than the diameter of the glass closure and covers, when the reflector is closed to its greatest extent only a portion of the middle belt ofthe glass closure, leaving a substantial part of the glass closure above and below the reflector entirely uncovered. u i 5. The combination withan automobile lamp having a rim and glass closure, of a reflector positioned in front of the said glass closure, a hingediaving twoleaves, one of said leaves being secured to saidlamp rim and the other to the said reflector, the axis of rotation of said hinge being vertical and positioned in front of the glass closure and between said glass closures centre and its edge adjacent to the portion of the lamprim to WllChthe other leaf of the hinge is secure glass closure near 1 6. The device as defined in claim5 wherein the widthvof the reflector does not exceed one half the diameter of the glass closure and is positioned to cover the middle belt only of the glass closure, leaving a portion of the glass closure above and below the reflector at all times uncovered. v i 7. In a glare reflecting device for automobile lamps thathave a glass closure and rim, the combination of areflector, a hinge connecting the reflector to the rim of the lamp at the drivers left hand side of the lamp, one leaf of said hinge being secured to the rim, and the other leaf to the reflector, the leaf secured to the rimhaving a plate fitting against said rim, and a pair of arms spaced from each other and having a portion thereof extending inward over the glass closure of the lamp, and the leaf attached to the reflector having a plate secured to the body of the reflector and a pair of ears spaced from each other and pins passing through the said arms and ears, and means for turning the said reflector on the said hinge.

8. The device as defined in claim 7, wherein the arms of the leaf secured to the lamp rim, have portions extending forwards from their portions extending inwards.

9. A glare reflecting device for automobile head lamps, comprising in combination a pair oflampseachha-ving a rimca-nda glass c1osure,.a pair of reflectors mounted; in front of saidlglass. closures and; hinged to the rims of said lamps the axis of each hinge being vertical and positioned infront of the glass closure and lying within; the circleI of: the glass closure, and means for rotating; said hinged reflectors, consisting ofarmsattached to said reflectors,anda link pivoted to said arms, the length-of said arms being unequal so that one reflector will be turned through a greater angular distance than theother by the same movement of the link, and means for moving the link lengthwise.

10. A glare reflecting device for automobile head-lights, comprising in combination a pair of lamps each having a glass closure and a rim, a pair of reflectors each positioned in front of the glass closure of alamp,hinges connecting the reflectors to the rims of the lamps the leaf of the hinge attached to the rim extending inward over the face of the lamp and the axis of rotation of said hinge being vertical and in front of the glass closure of the lampand at a substantial distance Within the glass closure, andto the drivers left side of the said glassclosure, an arm for turning each of said reflectors, a link for connecting these arms to each other pivoted to said arms, and means for giving, a length: wise movement to said link, the lengthof the link between the points at Which. it ispivoted to saidv arms being less than the distance between axes of the hinges on which the reflectors turn thereby causing the left hand reflector to open more Widely than the right hand reflector; p

11. The device as defined in claim 10, wherein the length of the arms attached to the leaves of the hinges secured to the reflectors vary. a

12. The device as definedin claim l,,wherein the reflector leaves at all times a portion of the glass closure of the lamp at the drivers left hand side of the lamp, also uncovered.

SAMUEL S, STALEY. 

